SignalEDI documentation

Send JSON, CSV, or EDI samples; validate instantly; route X12 in real time; and connect partner workflows without per-document fee surprises. For a copy-paste first upload, start with the Developer QuickStart. Use the docs sidebar navigation to jump to any section.

curl -X POST https://signaledi.com/api/v1/validate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIGNALEDI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"content":"ISA*... complete native X12 837 interchange ...~IEA*...~"}'

1. Getting Started

Account Setup

Creating a SignalEDI account takes under two minutes. No demo call required, no sales process — just sign up and start.

1. Open signaledi.com/trial and enter your work email and a strong password.
2. Check your inbox for a verification email from no-reply@signaledi.com and click the confirmation link.
3. You land in Connect on a 30-day Growth trial — no credit card and no Stripe checkout on the signup path. Convert from Billing before the trial ends.
4. You will land in the dashboard, where Signal directs your onboarding — add your company name, ISA Sender ID, and first trading partner, then follow the guided next steps (see Signal-directed onboarding).

First Login

After verification, log in at signaledi.com/login. If you enabled MFA during setup you will be prompted for your TOTP code after entering your password.

Accounts with status PENDING_PAYMENT or PENDING_VERIFICATION are redirected to the /checkout page until activation is complete.

Dashboard Overview

The dashboard is your real-time command center. Key areas:

Signal-directed onboarding

After checkout you are never left guessing what to do next. Signal, the built-in AI assistant, reads your onboarding project status and surfaces the single most relevant next action on the dashboard — onboarding is a directed sequence, not a blank wizard. The steps adapt to your transport style: API-first teams (JSON, REST, webhooks) see JSON/API wording, while classic X12 file-exchange teams see EDI mapping and per-partner EDI setup.

2. EDI Basics

What is EDI?

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents in a standard electronic format. Instead of emailing a PDF purchase order or faxing an invoice, EDI encodes those documents in a structured text format that both sender and receiver systems can parse automatically.

EDI eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and is required by most large retailers (Walmart, Target, Amazon), healthcare payers (Medicare, Blue Cross), and 3PLs. If a trading partner tells you "we only accept EDI," SignalEDI is what you use to become EDI-capable.

X12 Format

ANSI X12 is the dominant EDI standard in North America. An X12 document is a flat text file with segments separated by a tilde (~) and elements within each segment separated by an asterisk (*).

ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*SENDERID       *ZZ*RECEIVERID     *260101*1200*U*00401*000000001*0*P*>~
GS*PO*SENDERID*RECEIVERID*20260101*1200*1*X*004010~
ST*850*0001~
BEG*00*SA*PO-2024-001**20260101~
REF*DP*DEPT-47~
N1*ST*WALMART STORE #4872*91*0001234567~
PO1*1*100*EA*24.99**BP*ITEM-001*VN*VENDOR-SKU-A~
CTT*1~
SE*8*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000001~

Each line is a segment. The first element (before the first *) is the segment identifier (e.g. ISA, BEG, PO1). The number after the segment ID is the element position within that segment.

Common Transaction Sets

ISA / GS Segments Explained

Every X12 interchange starts with an ISA (Interchange Control Header) segment and ends with IEA. Within each interchange, one or more GS functional groups wrap the actual transaction sets.

3. Processing Files

How to Upload EDI Files

Open Files → Upload in the dashboard. You can:

• Drag and drop one or more EDI files onto the drop zone.
• Click the drop zone to open a file browser.
• Use the POST /api/v1/documents/outbound endpoint for programmatic sends.

Maximum file size: 10 MB per file. Maximum batch: 25 files at once.

Validation & Processing

After upload, SignalEDI runs a multi-step pipeline:

1. Syntax check — verifies ISA/GS envelope structure, segment terminators, and element delimiters.
2. Transaction set validation — checks mandatory segments, element formats, and code values against the X12 specification for the identified transaction set.
3. Partner matching — matches the ISA06/ISA08 IDs to a configured trading partner in your account.
4. Output routing — delivers the processed data per the output mode configured for that partner (EDI passthrough or JSON API).
5. 997 acknowledgment — automatically generates a 997 FA back to the sender if configured.

AI-Assisted Remediation Examples

AI assistance is tied to specific EDI jobs, not a generic chatbot. The examples below show the kind of concrete help an SMB operator should expect while still keeping human approval on business-sensitive changes.

Supported Formats

Output Modes (EDI vs API)

Per trading partner, you choose how processed data is delivered:

4. Trading Partners

Adding a Trading Partner

Go to Partners → Add Partner. You will need:

• Partner name and contact email.
• Their ISA Sender ID (ISA06) and your ISA Receiver ID (ISA08) for this partner.
• Connection type (SFTP, AS2, or API webhook).
• Transaction sets this partner sends/receives.
• Preferred output mode (EDI or API JSON).

ISA IDs (Interchange Sender/Receiver IDs)

ISA IDs are 15-character alphanumeric identifiers that tell the EDI network who sent a document and who should receive it. Each trading partner relationship uses a unique pair: your sender ID and the partner's receiver ID.

You can find your ISA IDs in Settings → EDI Configuration. If you don't have ISA IDs, SignalEDI will provision them for you during onboarding.

Connection Types

Onboarding Timeline

SignalEDI can prepare account setup and technical configuration in days, not weeks. However, getting certified with a major trading partner takes longer because their internal processes control the timeline — not SignalEDI.

Production Readiness Checklist

Before sending live partner traffic, confirm these items in the dashboard or with your managed onboarding owner.

• Partner ISA IDs, document types, and transport are saved on the trading-partner record.
• A sample file or API payload has passed validation for each required transaction set.
• Webhook URL, signature secret, or SFTP/AS2 endpoint is configured and tested.
• Acknowledgement handling is agreed: 997/999/277 status appears in the transaction lifecycle.
• Support path, SLA tier, audit-log needs, retention tier, and BAA/DPA review are understood before production PHI or regulated data moves.

5. Billing & Plans

Plan Comparison

Add-ons

Upgrading Your Plan

Go to Dashboard → Billing → Change Plan. Upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated. Downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing cycle.

Billing Portal

Click Manage Billing in the dashboard to open the Stripe Customer Portal, where you can update your payment method, view invoices, and cancel your subscription.

6. API Reference

Authentication

All API requests require a Bearer token. Generate an API key from Settings → API Keys.

GET /api/v1/transactions
Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

REST Endpoints

Trading partners are created in the dashboard (Settings → Trading Partners) or the developer console; pass the resulting partnerId to the API.

Example: list recent failed transactions:

curl -X GET "https://signaledi.com/api/v1/transactions?status=FAILED&limit=50" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Code Samples

Complete request examples in multiple languages. Click the tabs to switch between cURL, Node.js, Python, and PHP.

curl -X GET "https://signaledi.com/api/v1/transactions" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

curl -X POST "https://signaledi.com/api/v1/documents/outbound" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"partnerId":"your-partner-id","documentTypeCode":"850","payload":{"purchaseOrderNumber":"PO-1001","lines":[{"sku":"SKU-1","quantity":1,"unitPrice":10}]}}'

curl -X GET "https://signaledi.com/api/v1/transactions/txn_abc123" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_API_KEY"

# SignalEDI signs the string "<X-SignalEDI-Timestamp>.<rawBody>" with HMAC-SHA256.
# The X-SignalEDI-Signature header is "sha256=<hex>". Verify with:
SIGNED="$TIMESTAMP.$BODY"
echo -n "$SIGNED" | openssl dgst -sha256 -hmac "whsec_YOUR_SECRET"

Rate Limits

Numbers above are typical ceilings; the actual cap that applies to your request is the lower of the per-endpoint ceiling and your plan-tier ceiling (see Acceptable Use). Rate-limit response headers (when present): X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset (Unix timestamp). On a 429, retry after the time indicated in the response body or Retry-After header.

Webhook Setup

Configure a webhook URL in Settings → Webhooks to receive document lifecycle updates (validation, routing, partner acknowledgements, and errors) without polling.

SignalEDI sends a POST request to your URL with the following JSON payload:

{
  "event": "document.validated",
  "timestamp": "1710000000",
  "data": {
    "documentId": "doc_01HXYZ",
    "partnerId": "partner_abc",
    "documentTypeCode": "850",
    "status": "validated"
  }
}

Webhook events include document.validated, document.routed, document.partner_ack, and document.error. Deliveries also include X-SignalEDI-Timestamp, X-SignalEDI-Event, and X-SignalEDI-Delivery-ID headers.

Verify webhook authenticity by checking the X-SignalEDI-Signature header (HMAC-SHA256 over timestamp + "." + rawBody using your webhook signing secret; reject deliveries whose timestamp skew exceeds ~5 minutes).

7. FAQ